Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio The North Carolina Forest Service issued a statewide burn ban for North Carolina over the weekend. This means that it is illegal to burn leaves, branches or other plant material over 100 feet away from an occupied dwelling. This includes fireworks and campfires, but excludes portable gas...

Will Doran/WRAL News Support for congressional and legislative Republicans is softening among North Carolina voters ahead of this year’s midterm elections, according to a new poll. The findings from the Elon University Poll, published Thursday, show that 35% of North Carolinians want Republicans to keep control of Congress, down from...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily Brunswick County Schools could add another property to its ranks, but not a school; the district is using some of its acreage in Supply for affordable housing geared toward its employees. The board of education voted unanimously in favor of the proposal at its meeting on...

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News Maintaining faith in the justice system and protecting law enforcement were the themes of the four-day hearing held last week in Robbinsville to determine whether Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit — now suspended amid allegations of misconduct tied to an investigation of the ex-husband of his...

Sarah White/The Waynesville Mountaineer Hours before the sewer treatment contract between the town of Canton and the owner of the former paper mill site was set to lapse on Tuesday, the two parties agreed to extend the contract for 30 days. The deal came just in time, after months of...

David Beasley/The Center Square  Fifty-four percent of North Carolina public school high school graduates passed at least one-college level course while still in high school, education officials said Thursday. “For those who have been around a moment and have gray hair or less hair, understand the magnitude of that number,...

The Associated Press & WUNC News Ricky Brinkley has lived in rural North Carolina nearly all of his 65 years, and he likes it “out in the county,” past the street lights and bustle of the small towns that carpet the landscape. But the former truck driver can feel left...

Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) lost his primary and won’t run the chamber next year. But he’s leaving a legacy. Members of his family, former staff members, and former Senate colleagues hold positions of influence throughout government. They are top officials in the executive branch and UNC...

Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press Cumberland County election board member Brenda (Bree) Eldridge made a $25,000 donation to the county Republican Party in early 2022 to help pay for a featured speaker. The issue? Allegedly, the money wasn’t all hers. Under North Carolina campaign finance law, it is a felony to...

Amy Diaz/WFDD Radio Longtime Forsyth County public servant Dave Plyler has died. Plyler served on the Board of Commissioners for nearly 30 years and was chairman for ten of those. When he retired in 2024, the commission passed a proclamation honoring his accomplishments, which include a statewide recognition for being...

Elvis Menayese/WFAE Radio Black health care professionals will convene in Charlotte this weekend, with a focus on caring for mothers and babies. Recent data shows a disturbing trend, with Black infants still dying at a higher rate than their counterparts. Black health care professionals will convene in uptown Charlotte this...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily Brunswick County Schools could add another property to its ranks, but not a school; the district is using some of its acreage in Supply for affordable housing geared toward its employees. The board of education voted unanimously in favor of the proposal at its meeting on...

Emily Thomas/Education NC Eli Hughes lights up when he talks about the future. A junior at Mitchell High School, Hughes has always known he was destined to work with his hands. That tinkering mentality is why Hughes has taken almost every career and technical education (CTE) class that his school...

Kathy Hanrahan & Heidi Kirk/WRAL News Zebulon town leaders have temporarily closed Gill Street Park after elevated levels of lead were found during soil testing, but WRAL Investigates has found that the site has had tests indicating glass, lead and arsenic were found at the site more than a year...

Anna Tart/Up & Coming Weekly The door chimes as Joseph Mason opens the door at Back-A-Round Records. The sound of rock music fills his ears as he ascends the narrow staircase lined with graffiti-esque art, glowing under black lights. Mason, a regular at the record store, begins thumbing through the...